caitlink - welcome to Texas! Try the sweetpotato fries at Hyde Park (and the dipping sauce they come with) and when in season the tomato pie, Chez Nous is one of my daughter's favorites and many will tell you Fonda San Miquel is outstanding. Do not fail to try the BBQ at the SALT LICK, but it's a drive from down town and you will need to bring your beer. There are several placeson Manor Road (Hoover's is one) that are great. If you like good cooking and easy atmosphere try Shady Grove on a Saturday night.

Sounds like you have a pretty good sampling there! Eddie V's has great HH specials on apps. and there steaks & seafood are really good. There is also a Salt Lick in Round Rock near the dell diamond with a full bar; not BYOB. they also take Credit cards whereas the original is BYOB and CASH only.

Skip Taco Express...go east on 7th about 1/2 mile east of I-35 to Carneceria La Michoacana and get the real deal...corn tortilla tacos for about 99 cents, plus gorditas, huaraches, etc. Amazing and cheap. And authentic.

Also skip Salt Lick. Nice atmosphere I suppose, but 2nd tier BBQ...if you have wheels to go there, head to Lockhart or Taylor for world-class BBQ without the hype.

Chez Nous is quite nice, good food, no pretense. Fonda San Miguel is wonderful, but the prices have escalated to the point of being ridiculous. If you have the pockets....

If you are not traveling out of town for BBQ, go back to Sam's, Artz is, well, Sam's is usually much better.

Someone recommended Eddie V's downtown. Yuk. I went ONCE. Returned the overpriced, overcooked shrimp. Won't make that mistake again. And the service was awful. I've only returned food to the kitchen a couple of times...so be forewarned.

yeah... skip the taco xpress and grab a bite from one of the fine mexican ladies who work behind the counter of other various local taco places, whether the abundance of carts whose virtues are espoused by scrumtiouschef or the various carniceria/panaderia/taqueria places such as la michoacana or la hacienda or la whatevera as suggested by sambamaster.

also would advise you skip the artz rib and go up to n lamar and 183 to grab some vietnamese sandwiches from tam deli or the various other assortment of asian mom and pop stores. let me tell you, the bahn mi is probably the greatest invention of the asian continent, with gunpowder being a close second.

also, while youre downtown, go grab a burger from casino el camino or burgertex (or mikes pub if you feel like comparatively slumming it up)

I retired from that hunt long ago, samba.........but it was a good hunt! I will say that the three times I have eaten a real dinner, and several times when I've had apps, Eddie V's was good to me. I do understand how a shrimp apocalpyse could turn one against a place!

Thanks, everyone. I did visit Lockhart on an earlier BBQ run. Loved smitty's the most.Did not make it to Artz this time. Went to Uchi and Scholz Garten instead.Next time, it will be Artz, Eddie V, Fonda San Miguel, Chez Nous and Lambert. Will also try TacoXpress as well. I was pleasantly surprised to see there is a Teuscher on 2nd street. I never pass up their truffles.